


Healing

by SofieAmalieN (River_Songs_wife)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen, Magic comes with a price, Serious Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-11
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2019-01-31 21:24:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12690498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/River_Songs_wife/pseuds/SofieAmalieN
Summary: The sound of the ambulance siren made Regina look up. She did not have a view of Main Street from the office at the town hall, but the flash of blue and red light still penetrated their way into her chambers. She rose, following the lights and the sounds as she watched the ambulance disappear deeper into the forests that surrounded Storybrooke. Regina Mills picked up her phone and made sure it was on, as mayor she would soon be informed who had been injured and as she was related to half the town worry grew instantly inside her.





	Healing

The sound of the ambulance siren made Regina look up. She did not have a view of Main Street from the office at the town hall, but the flash of blue and red light still penetrated their way into her chambers. She rose, following the lights and the sounds as she watched the ambulance disappear deeper into the forests that surrounded Storybrooke. Regina Mills picked up her phone and made sure it was on, as mayor she would soon be informed who had been injured and as she was related to half the town worry grew instantly inside her.

Less than ten minutes later, Regina heard the ambulance speed its way back into town, heading towards the hospital. She could go, she could drive there and see for herself who had been in need of such urgent care. But since she hadn’t been contacted yet, she felt certain that Henry and the Charming family were safe. She gave a startled jump as the mobile in her hand rang. Emma’s name flashed against the screen before she swiped to answer.

“Regina… It’s Maleficent. It’s not looking good. You should come to the hospital.”

Regina swallowed dryly. For three years Maleficent had been living in Storybrooke. Regina had helped her secure a cottage in the forest, but she hadn’t once considered that the ambulance had been heading for her old friend’s home. She ended the call and headed straight for the hospital.

Everyone was already gathered there. Snow and Charming with young Neal. Henry stood beside Emma whose arms were wrapped around Lily. Regina stepped closer, before she cleared her throat. “What happened?” She asked, looking from Lily’s tear streaked face, to David and Snow’s worried faces.

“I found her,” Lily said and Regina could hear the sob the young woman tried to hold down. “In her home, surrounded by blood and cold. Mum is never cold,” she said, before a new round of sobs and tears rendered her speechless.

Regina knew that Lily was right. Maleficent was never cold. “Is she…?” She asked, unable to voice her worst fears.

“She’s alive,” Henry said as she walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her. “She’s in surgery. They said she had a wound to her chest…” He said and trailed off.

Regina nodded and returned Henry’s hug. “All right.” She said and fell silent like the rest of the waiting friends and family of Maleficent.

After four hours of silence, Doctor Whale arrived. “Maleficent is out of surgery. We have not been able to close the wound. Sutures burst, the glue wouldn’t stick, so we have cauterized the bleeders and used bandaids to hold it as closed as possible. She has lost a lot of blood and we do not know what kind if damage that might have done to her brain function.”

Lily’s sob of pure agony cut through the doctor’s speech and Regina felt her heart go out to the young woman. Lily’s presence in Maleficent’s life had meant the world to the old dragon.

“I’m very sorry miss Page,” Doctor Whale continued. “Maleficent will be in recovery for a while and then we will transfer her to the intensive care unit. I can take two if you to see her now.”

Regina watched as Emma pulled Lily to her feet and together the two of them went with Doctor Whale. “Well there’s nothing left here for us to do now. We should get some food,” Snow said, pulling Regina’s attention away from the door where Emma and Lily had gone. And without further planning, Regina found herself with the Charming-clan eating dinner at Granny’s.

 

Several hours later, in the middle of the night, Emma texted her that Maleficent had been moved to the intensive care unit. Regina didn’t reply to the message, but turned over and hugged her spare pillow even closer. Her phone buzzed again, but she ignored it, willing herself to sleep, as her tears would do nothing to help Maleficent heal.

The next morning, before Regina had even gotten dressed, there was a knock on the door. Henry had stayed with his grandparents, but it couldn’t be him. He wouldn’t knock and he had a key. Regina looked down at her pyjamas-clad self, before she unlocked the door and opened it slightly. “Emma, Lily.” She said and stepped back, gesturing them both inside. The two young women looked exhausted, Lily more than Emma and even more so than Regina felt. “Upstairs, second door to your right. There are fresh towels in the bathroom,” she said to Lily who gave her a small smile before heading upstairs. She turned to look at Emma who looked on the verge of tears herself. “Emma?” She asked, reaching out to place her hand on Emma’s elbow.

“It’s my fault,” the blonde blurted out as she pulled off her woolen hat and toed off her shoes. “Maleficent’s wound – it’s the one I gave her. You know, with the sword… in the caves under the library.” Emma pulled away from Regina and made her way into the mayor’s kitchen.

Regina followed and sat down on a stool by the island counter as she watched Emma prepare a pot of coffee, right at home in her home. A few years ago Emma’s familiarity with her home would have bothered her, but not anymore. “Emma… It’s hardly your fault. That was years ago.” Regina said soothingly as she rested her elbows and forearms against the marble counter. “Has she woken up yet?”

Emma turned to face her, a grave expression on her face as she shook her head. “No. And the tests and monitors aren’t giving them clear answers. I don’t know what to do or say, I don’t feel like I should be there. Not when it’s my fault. But Lily refused to let me go.” Emma shrugged, kicking her heel mindlessly against the baseboard as the coffee machine slowly began to brew behind her. “Lily knows by the way.”

“What exactly does Lily know?” Regina asked, sitting up straight again, suspicious and slightly fearful. There were so many things about the relationship she and Maleficent had shared in the past, that Lily might know. But Emma could also be referring to the way her mother’s injury had occurred. Regina wasn’t even sure how much Emma knew of her and Maleficent’s past.

“That I killed her mother,” Emma clarified, before she turned and found two cups. “And I think you should go with Lily to see Maleficent. When Lily wakes.” She added, placing the cups on the island counter. “Because you are her other parent, aren’t you?”

Regina caught herself, just before her lips parted and managed to hide the surprised gape. “I’ll go with her. But not for the reason you list,” she said simply and pulled her favourite cup closer. She would allow many things, but not Emma drinking from her favourite cup.

 

It was hours later when Lily emerged from one of Regina’s guest rooms. Emma was fast asleep on the sofa and Regina had showered and dressed. She had talked to Henry and Snow, and even called the hospital for any updates but there were none. Lily agreed to let her take her to the hospital and Regina drove them there after leaving a note for Emma.

The machines attached to Maleficent beeped at regular intervals. It was a strange sense of reassurance, when everything else seemed like a mess. Regina’s old friend laid motionless and expressionless on the hospital bed, pale against the sheets. There were wires connected to her chest and her scalp. The hospital gown was cut open in the front and Regina had to look away, she knew Maleficent would never have appreciated her body being on display like that. But the cut allowed the nursing staff to tend to the long gash on Maleficent’s chest. Even with the bandages covering it, Regina could see that blood was seeping through the layers.

Lily took a seat in the chair right beside the bed, leaving the armchair in the corner for Regina to take, but she opted to stand a little longer. She looked around at the fluid hanging by Maleficent’s bed, only to realize that none of them were connected to Maleficent. “Why aren’t they replenishing her blood? Or giving her fluids?” Regina wondered, surprising herself by saying the words out loud.

“They couldn’t match her blood type, said it was nothing they had ever seen before. Mine didn’t match, apparently I’m more human than my mum.” Lily explained as she took Maleficent’s hand and curled her fingers around her own. Regina remembered doing a similar thing back in Fairy Tale Land, once when she had come across Maleficent weak from her drugs and on the verge of taking things too far. “And they weren’t sure the fluids would help her, so they opted not to give her any yet.” Lily added, before falling quiet again.

Regina eventually took a seat in the armchair. She watched nurses come and go. She listened as Doctor Whale explained to Lily that all the readings looked stable, but added that they didn’t know what normal would look like for Maleficent. Regina got up and had a closer look as a nurse change the bandages concealing Maleficent’s wound. The sight only confirmed Emma’s words; that was definitely caused by a sword stabbing.

Emma arrived in the late afternoon with food for the three of them. And once they had eaten and updated each other, Regina grabbed her purse and headed back home. She had expected to find the house empty, but was pleasantly surprised to find Henry in the lounge room, playing one of his computer games. Regina sat down beside him and without an exchange of words they sat there together for a while.

At dinner time, Regina texted both Emma and Lily that they were welcome to use the guestrooms as needed and they she would leave food for them in the fridge, they could reheat whenever they got in. Emma replied quickly, but Regina never heard from Lily.


End file.
